When Filters Become Our Faces

In the race to appear gentle and agreeable, we've lost the courage to be authentic.

- Nowsheen Mushtaq

We live in an age of filters that go far beyond photos. They have entered our personalities, relationships, and values. People have mastered the art of curating themselves, of appearing gentle, wise, and thoughtful, while keeping their true intentions tucked away behind smiles and sugarcoated words.

What began as a harmless trend on social media has slowly turned into a survival skill in society. We filter our emotions, opinions, and even morals, afraid that honesty might make us look unpleasant.

The saddest irony is that the world now punishes truth and rewards pretension.

A person who speaks their mind with honesty is often branded rude, arrogant, or disgraceful. Their bluntness is seen as a flaw because it does not come wrapped in flattery. But the one who hides their real thoughts behind sweet words is celebrated as polite and mature.

Society bows to the well-filtered while turning away from the genuine. It has become safer to pretend than to be authentic. A lie spoken softly wins more hearts than a truth spoken firmly.